Poster for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games held in Los Angeles, California is a color lithograph of two athletes in a boxing ring and marked in white at the bottom of the poster, "Games of the XXIIIrd Olympiad Los Angeles 1984." This was created by artist Ernie Barnes.
Ernie Barnes (1938-2009) an artist and professional football player, grew up in North Carolina during the 1950s. He attended North Carolina College on a full scholarship playing football, running track and majoring in art. Art was his passion, but after graduation he played professional football from 1959 to 1965 while continued to create his artwork. After his retirement from pro ball the NFL kept him on their roster as the first artist for the NFL. Barnes was named the ‘Sports Artist of the 1984 Olympic Games,’ by the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee. He painted five paintings for the Games and became an advocate for inner city youth. LAOOC President Peter Ueberroth said Barnes and his art “captured the essence of the Olympics” and “portray the city’s ethnic diversity, the power and emotion of sports competition, the singleness of purpose and hopes that go into the making of athletes the world over.” Barnes continued to paint for sports organizations as well as basketball and football teams for many years.
The 1984 Summer Olympics, also known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad were held in Los Angeles, California with 140 countries, 5,263 men and 1,566 women athletes participating. These Games were boycotted by fourteen countries, including the Soviet Union because of America’s boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. American Carl Lewis won four gold medals in track and field while Joan Benoit won gold for the U.S. in the first women’s marathon. Mary Lou Retton dominated women’s gymnastics becoming the first American to win the gymnastics all-around competition and the American men won the gold in the gymnastics team competition. With the addition of women’s only events of rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming and the addition of women’s events in track and field, shooting and cycling, women athletes were just beginning to see results from Title IX legislation of twelve years prior. The United States won the medal count with 174.
